Event Details

Quite simply, the European Powerlifting Conference is the world’s number 1 educational event for powerlifters, coaches and strength enthusiasts.

EPC is approved by the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA) for 1.4 CEU points for attendees.

Never before has such a collection of elite level coaches, world champions and scientists ever been assembled to educate specifically raw powerlifters and powerlifting coaches.

FORMAT

This year sees a unique format to the conference, with the schedule seeing some distinct types of sessions over the two days of the conference:

Discussion Panels – A combination of experts will gather around and discuss their thoughts, experiences and disagreements on various different topics relevant to the powerlifter. Programming, exercise selection, fatigue management, athlete preparation and more will be discussed.

Q&A Sessions – A combination of the speakers will answer questions submitted directly by you, the attendee. These questions will be sent in both ahead of time, as well as asked live on the day. Panellists will use the questions to get into deeper discussions with each other, right in front of you!

Practical Demonstrations– 4 demonstration sessions will take place where an expert will take you through practical cues, set-ups and tips on the finer details of elite-level lift execution. You will learn from a session each on the squat, bench press, conventional deadlift and sumo deadlift.

Keynote Talks – On each day of the event there will be an opening and closing keynote speech to book-end the day. These will be opportunities to hear the most well thought-out, concise thoughts of true world-class experts. You’ll hear from Matt Gary on game-day preparation and coaching, Mike Tuchscherer of RTS, researcher Dr. Eric Helms on the latest research relevant to powerlifters, and sport psychologist to the British Olympic Weightlifting team, Hugh Gilmore.

Speakers

Mike Tuchscherer

Mike Tuchscherer is the founder of Reactive Training Systems. Currently, Mike’s achievements as a lifter include:

Winning the Gold Medal at the 2009 World Games (first male in USA Powerlifting history to do this)

Winning 8 USA Powerlifting National Championships

2 Bronze, 3 Silver, 1 Gold medals in IPF World Championships

Set 3 IPF World Records multiple times

Competed internationally both single ply and unequipped.

Mike has coached many elite level lifters to world championships, and in recent times has coached the likes of Brett Gibbs, Bryce Krawczyk, Liz Craven and Stephen Manuel.

Natalie Hanson

Natalie is a truly elite athlete… She competes in both single-ply equipment and raw in the 84kg class. Her bests raw lifts in competition are 197.5kg squat, 112.5kg bench, and 202.5kg deadlift and her best equipped lifts in competition are 273.5kg squat, 185kg bench, and 215kg deadlift.

She has been super successul in competition, including:– 1st in the 84kg class in the 2017 IPF Open (equipped) World Championships (2017)– 1st in the USAPL (equipped) National Championships in both 2018 and 2017, as well as 2nd place in 2015-2016– 1st at 84kg in the Arnold Pro Raw meet (2015, 2016)– She currently holds the IPF Open World Records in the squat (273.5kg) and total (671kg).

Powerlifting taught Natalie how to appreciate her body for what it can accomplish when she made the tough decision to move up from the 72kg weight class to the 84kg weight class in late-2013 after experiencing early stagnation in her progress as a new powerlifter, due to almost an entire year of dieting. As a result, she does not believe in training to achieve a certain aesthetic, but simply to get stronger.

Matt Gary

Matt Gary is well-known for his role of coaching/handling the USA team at IPF international events. He has a widespread reputation for being one of the very best meet-day coaches in the world. Matt is an active member of the USAPL where he serves as the Chairman of the Coaching Committee, a member of the Raw Committee, national referee, and coach.

Matt, along with his wife Sioux-Z Hartwig-Gary, own and operate Supreme Sports Performance & Training (SSPT), a strength and conditioning facility catering to powerlifters, Olympic weightlifters, strongman competitors, and anyone who is serious about strength training. His educational background includes a BS in Kinesiological Science from the University of Maryland.

As an athlete, Matt has been a competitive, drug-free powerlifter for over 20 years. He has competed in three different weight divisions, from 198 to 242, and currently competes in the 231-pound (105kg) weight class. He is a 4-time Maryland state champion and won the 2004 USAPL American Open Powerlifting Championships.

Greg Nuckols

Greg Nuckols is the founder of StrongerByScience.com, a website that provides comprehensive information about how to get stronger and more jacked. Alongside Eric Helms and Mike Zourdos, Greg also produces the extremely popular monthly research review MASS (Monthly Applications in Strength Sport).

Greg has over a decade of experience under the bar, and a BS in Exercise and Sports Science. He’s held 3 all-time world records in powerlifting in the 220 lb and 242 lb classes, and is pursuing graduate research at UNC-Chapel Hill, under the supervision of Dr. Abbie Smyth-Ryan.

Isabella von Weissenberg

For a number of years now, Isabella has been regarded as one of the very best lifters in the world in the -72 kg class.

Representing Sweden, Isabella has won silver and bronze medals at IPF World Championships, and won gold at European Championships. Isabella is the owner of a IPF world record in the squat of 196.5 kg.

LS McClain

LS McClain competes in the -93kg class in the USAPL, representing the US national team at several IPF world championships over the past number of years, including winning gold in 2017.

In addition to last year’s world championship win, LS has won multiple national championships in both Overall and Bench over the years. He will again be representing the USA at 2018 IPF Worlds.

Current best competition lifts include a 300 kg squat, 230 kg bench and 320 kg deadlift.

Eric Helms, PhD

Eric holds a PhD from Auckland University of Technology in strength & conditioning, with his research focusing on the use of autoregulation for strength athletes. In addition to his PhD, Eric also has two masters degrees (MSc.).

Eric has published multiple peer-reviewed articles in exercise science and nutrition journals.

Eric, along with Greg Nuckols and Dr. Mike Zourdos, produces the monthly research review MASS (Monthly Applications in Strength Sports), which breaks apart some of the recent research carried out that is relevant to strength athletes and powerlifters. He is also the author of the popular books The Muscle & Strength Pyramids.

As a practitioner, Eric has been a coach for over a decade, working with strength athletes and bodybuilders from all over the world. Eric is also the long-time coach of Bryce Lewis.

Sioux-z Hartwig-Gary

She has been a successful competitive powerlifter for 27 years. She is a 26-time National Champion and 5-time IPF World Champion. One of the most prestigious honors bestowed to a powerlifter is to compete at the World Games (Olympics for the non-Olympic sports). She competed in the 2001 World Games in Japan as well as the 2009 World Games in Taiwan.

At the young age of 49, she currently holds two masters world records (equipped) including a 182.5kg squat and 442.5kg in the total. Sioux-z also has a personal best bench press of 102.5kg and 170kg in the deadlift.

Her raw lifting is equally impressive as she currently holds the Open Raw World Record in the squat at 156.5kg. What’s even more astonishing is she weighs only 52kg. Pound-for-pound Sioux-z is one of the strongest women in the world and literally dominated her weight class for nearly two decades. To that end, Sioux-z was inducted into the USAPL Women’s Powerlifting Hall of Fame in 2011.

Sioux-z is recognized by USA Powerlifting as a Senior International Coach and currently serves as the Head Coach for the US Open Raw National Teams for the 2016-2018 term.

Stephen “Screamer” Manuel

One of the most recognizable and well-liked lifters in the IPF, Stephen Manuel has been one of the very best 93/105 kg class lifters in the world for several years.

Winning silver and bronze at world championships, several national championships and a number of world records along the way, Screamer has been a truly successful athlete.

Stephen now coaches powerlifters in the gym in Newcastle, UK, as well as remotely online.

Hugh Gilmore

Hugh is currently with the English Institute of Sport working as the Performance Psychologist to the British Weightlifting team. Hugh worked with these lifters in the lead-up to the most recent Olympic Games in Rio 2016.

Hugh has a MSc. in Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology. And is accredited by The Irish Institute of Sport.

Hugh has also worked with high-level athletes across a number of other sports, including All-Ireland winners, World Champions & Olympians.

Bryce Lewis

Bryce is the founder of The Strength Athlete and is a world-class elite-level powerlifter in the IPF.

Bryce competes in the -105 kg class, winning USAPL Raw Nationals in both 2016 and 2017, as well as winning silver at the IPF World Championships in Minsk in 2017.

Through his success as an elite lifter, Bryce’s dream is to pass on his knowledge and skills through The Strength Athlete (TSA) powerlifting coaching services online. Bryce passionately advocates for the application and love of the sciences, evidence-based philosophies, and skepticism of pseudoscience.

Off the back of his 2017 Raw Nationals win with a 890 kg total (315/220/355), Bryce will again represent the USA at IPF Worlds this year in Calgary, Canada.

Schedule

National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) approved 1.4 CEU(s) in category A for certified individuals attending this event.

Attendees will be awarded 1.4 CEU, or 14 contact hours, of continuing education for the CSCS, CSPS, NSCA-CPT, or TSAC-F certifications according to the guidelines set forth by the National Strength and Conditioning Association for attendance at EPC 18.

Bonus Online Seminars

EXCLUSIVE: The following amazing bonus online sessions will be exclusively available only to those who have purchased their EPC18 ticket by midnight on February 28th.

Bonus #1

Dr. Mike Zourdos, PhD – Online Presentation & Live Q&A

In this exclusive presentation, Florida State University researcher Dr. Mike Zourdos will discuss how to create optimally effective training blocks, the science of periodization strategies and practical implications.

Yes! Attendees will be awarded 1.4 CEU, or 14 contact hours, of continuing education for the CSCS, CSPS, NSCA-CPT, or TSAC-F certifications according to the guidelines set forth by the National Strength and Conditioning Association for attendance at EPC 18.